A mender's quest
by apotterheadwhovianinwesteros
Summary: Sakura has made up her mind to create a new potion so she starts on a journey together with her friends. On the way she meets a very good-looking knight that wants to join her quest for unknown reasons. Will they get along? And will Sakura find what she is looking for?
1. Chapter 1

Story 1

Sakura left her little wool bag on the table and took a look at herself in the mirror. She didn't look that bad. Her hair wasn't completely burned, it was a nice size now. Her eyebrows, though, weren't as lucky. Her eyebrows no longer existed. Fury filled her as she looked at her face, at her strange eyebrow-less face and remembered the dreadful moment she decided to fool Drago by shoving the pill in his fish. The little beast was smart! Smart enough to know that fish isn't supposed to taste that way…or feel that way…or have that color. But what else what she supposed to do? His wing was still healing, it's been 1 week and his wing hadn't healed yet. So she figured out a little cure that would make the wing heal a little faster…alright a lot faster…alright, instantly. The pill, unfortunately didn't have the best taste.

But now, because of that little fool she had to wait for her eyebrows to grow back. What was she supposed to do now? What was she supposed to do until then? She touched her forehead and felt lucky that that was all she had lost. Drago really needs to work on his temper.

"If you ask me, you totally asked for it." Her little friend said.

"Yeah, well no one asked you." She responded trying to not get even angrier. She wondered how funny it would be to shave little old Pip and use its hair as her temporary eyebrows. Yellow eyebrows wouldn't suit her though, not with her complexion or her hair.

Pip sighed. For its small size it could really pack a lot of attitude. "Sweet pea, you can't expect Drago to accept being tested on. Who knows what that pill would've done? How about you have a little patience, aye?" It used its small wings to fly on her shoulder to whisper something in her ear. "Same goes for your eyebrows, aye sweet pea." Her fury was beyond boiling point now.

"Listen, you fluffy alcoholic! I did my research well, I know my affinity! I know what I'm doing! You know I do. It's not my fault Drago's a little princess!" She yelled the last part so he could hear her and when she heard a loud puff and smelled something burning she knew he did.

"You want me to remind you of that forest incident? Or that mission we had in the dwarves' village? I don't think you knew your affinity that well then, aye?" He flew off her shoulder and on the cupboard next to her fearing that she might slap him right into the wall. Sakura wasn't known for her calm temper or her forgiving nature.

"You know perfectly well that was out of my control. And I just wanted to make that stupid beast heal faster. I was doing a bleeding favor for a friend! How is that wrong, _aye_?" She used the word 'aye' mockingly as that was what she did when she got angry, she wanted to hurt the person that made her angry and so she mocked. "I'll go fly into the bleeding hole in the wall and eat my bleeding cheese because I'm a bloody flying mouse." Granted, she wasn't very good at it. It was endearing, really.

"Honestly, sweet pea, I'm only trying to help." He tried.

"Well you're not!"Sakura retorted. "You're making me angrier. What could you do anyway besides sit there and look pretty. You're not even good at that you garl smoking rodent." To be fair Pip wasn't a rodent. He was a mentor fairy, what every little girl got when she started learning her affinity. It was raised from the little girl's deepest desires coming from her soul and heart during the first summer solstice after she had discovered her affinity. It was all made out to look beautiful and special. In truth there was a factory just outside town that located each and every mentor fairy that would appear to their little menders. Truth be told they do appear to the fairy that most fits their personality and working style, basically that works best with them.

Mentor fairies are an ancient species that appeared even before menders did. They have a spherical body covered in fluffy fur of different colors. Their wings are small but perfectly fine for their body weight. They don't have gender assigned at their birth or at any point in their life because they don't see the point of it. They no longer are in charge of creating new mentor fairies as there are menders that have an affinity for nature and so they strive for balance which means that each species needs to be in perfect equilibrium. And so they create their fairies for them.

"Pip! Go calm that bloody dragon!" She yelled and added afterwards calmly. "In fact don't. Just put the saddle on him and go pack your bags." Pip was speechless. Pack its bags? That meant just one thing. Another adventure. Another long road with just the two of them trying to get along but failing miserably. And where were they headed now? What forgotten places would they see now? It was all a mystery to Pip as Sakura liked to keep it all to herself and change her mind constantly. She was a mess that girl, a true unorganized mess but when she got an idea she would not drop it.

"Where are we going now, aye girl?" She smiled and showed her excitement through her eyes as her eyebrows were no longer there to convey her emotions. She was a lucky girl though, her eyes didn't need any help to convey emotion as they were always eager to help their owner communicate.

"All in good time dear Pip. You know what I always say-"

"It's not an adventure if you know where you're going." He continued. That was one thing Pip could always agree on. So Pip went and did exactly as it was told and figured it wouldn't mind a nice trip. After all they hadn't gone on one for about two months. Life was beginning to seem normal and if the three had one thing in common it was that they couldn't stand a normal life. They hated it. Feared it, even. A fear of living for nothing and dying in obscurity and alone. A fear of never having accomplished anything. And so they travelled. And ran. They ran away from the monotony of the everyday life. The routine that would surely settle in if they stayed too long at home.

They ran around for two hours before everything was settled. Pip was packed, Drago was all ready for a long journey and Sakura was simply excited.

"Sakura, I must remind you to not play around with your potions set and to not use any potions on any unsuspecting people. I do not want what happened in Bersazt to happen again, aye?" Pip flew on her shoulder and settled in for a long trip. Sakura was sitting in the saddle ready to fly away as soon as Drago was done stretching his wings. His wing was still hurt after all so flying for long periods wasn't recommended without a bit of stretching.

"Stop worrying Pip. We're not going on a trip. We have a mission so there won't be any fooling around." A mission in which no one fooled around. Ha! That was something Pip would like to see. He couldn't help but laugh. "Laugh all you want but I didn't pack you any garl leaves." His laughing turned into puffing which soon turned into silence.

"Are you crazy girl? Do you want me to go mad?" He flew away from her shoulder and settled on one of Drago's horns.

"Pip, you've been my mentor for…what? 14 years now? That's a long time isn't it? So is it wrong that I want my mentor to be healthier? To live longer?" She tried but the truth was she simply couldn't stand the smell and what it did to her good friend's voice. "I mean why do you need it anyway? They're just leaves, you can go on without them. It makes your voice sound all croaky and when you're not chewing it you're angry."

"So if I'm angry when I don't chew them why didn't you pack any?" Pip retorted.

"Don't pull that with me. You chewed all I had for my potions and now we have to get more."

"If that's where we're going then we can find some in the backyard."

"That's not where we're going. You see, I got an idea while I made my hair growing potion to make my eyebrows grow back. What if we made a potion that could change appearance?" Pip flew back on its mender's shoulder and forgot all about its garl leaves.

"Sakura, inventing a potion is dangerous and needs hard work. As much as I believe you are ready when it comes to ability, I don't believe you are ready for the commitment." Pip tried. Sakura was the kind of person that never finished a thing so Pip thought that with everything she had to do, figure out the ingredients, gather them, then decide how much of everything. That was the simple part really. Testing it was a very dangerous thing. You couldn't do it directly on humans as it was illegal so you had to find unwanted pests to test it on. And considering the fact that an appearance altering potions meddles with the DNA it will take a lot of work and a lot of hits and misses to get this right.

"I know that. But I want to do it. I want to try it. I want to be remembered so I'll just make something memorable." Sakura smiled. All her life she wanted to be something special but she never got the chance. She decided to create that chance.

"Why do you think no one attempted an appearance altering potion? It meddles with who you are and it changes you. If you've done your reading you would have known, Sakura." Pip scolded. Sakura couldn't help but sigh. She knew of the dangers, she was all too aware of them.

"I did my reading, Pip. And I found out something." Sakura noticed the curiosity in Pip's eyes. She was happy with the reaction she got.

"What exactly did you find out?" Pip asked after noticing that she won't go on.

"I read about a different sort of garl called blue garl. Now, if garl has the ability to change your voice temporarily without permanently altering it, blue gnarl can do that and more. Though I'm not sure what exactly."

"So we're running after this plant based on intuition, aye?"

"More like rumors. Some say it can change your whole appearance if brewed correctly. Other say it changes your personality for a few days. It's all really strange, plus the fact that I found out it only grows in one place."

"Which is where exactly?" Pip asked concerned. This sort of plant surely didn't grow on a nice green meadow. Sakura hesitated.

"It's…uh…It grows in the Witch's Meadow." She finally answered. Well, Pip thought, it's a meadow alright.

"Are you insane?" Pip whispered. "And dragging us all along to…to there." It added furiously. "You know the dangers that lie there. The untamed dragons, the flesh eating flies, the creatures that named that cursed place. I really don't believe a potion will protect you when a 2 meters tall witch will try and rip your heart out to feed it to her gods, girl!" Pip's fur turned red. It always did when he was overcome with emotion. "No wonder no one heard of that blasted plant. It probably doesn't even exist, it's probably a trap to get you there or anyone who's stupid enough to fall for it." Pip finished.

"Pip just stop. I learned how to brew an invisibility potion. It will last me about four hours and you can wait at the edge. I'll be in and out."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I can't begin to tell you how bad of an idea this is." Pip started again. On the whole way to their first stop he wouldn't shut up about it. Sakura decided to ignore him in the end and just let him ramble on as she planned their next few steps. First of all they had to get the ingredients for the invisibility potion but for that they needed money. And they certainly didn't have enough on them. So the next logical step was to gather the ingredients themselves.

"Let's see. Chameleon skin, Poper seeds and raspberry extract for a better taste. Well we can buy the raspberry extract but the other stuff we'll have to get it ourselves." Poper was a flower that turned invisible when any threat was around it. Its seeds were used for this potion for the obvious reason.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Pip asked annoyed yet again by his companion's care-free attitude. This was a suicide mission after all.

"The obvious way silly. We go and get them from out there." Sakura responded sweetly.

"From out where?"

"The wild!" Sakura said with a scary face on. The situation was amusing for her. She never, in her life, found something to be afraid of and if she wasn't scared before, she surely wasn't scared now. This was just an adventure for her. Something to look forward to.

Sakura walked into the supply house they stopped at after they had tied Drago to a stall. Inside was dark. There were tables at every corner but only at the corners and a counter right in the middle like an island. The windows were closed shut and only four candles struggled to keep the room lit. At the tables sat a knight, a nature mender and a man whose affinity Sakura didn't know. Without giving them a second glance Sakura walks over to the counter and asks for her raspberry extract.

"You can't afford it." The person answers.

"Try me." Sakura responded feeling a slight annoyance creep up her spine.

"It's 15 golden coins, sweetheart." She couldn't believe her ears. That was half of what she had brought along.

"Isn't there something I can do to help around here, cover the cost?" She asked desperately.

"Tell me what it's for. If I like what I hear then maybe I'll give it to you." The shop keeper smiled a mean smile that could make any person's day go sour. Sakura thought about it. Finally she decided there wasn't any harm in telling her what they were doing, in fact she felt a sort of pride when she thought about it.

"I need it for an invisibility potion. I'm trying to get into Witch's Meadow, find some blue gnarl."

"Those are rumors girl. Nothing but rumors."

"And I'm gonna check if they're true. Nothing wrong with that." Sakura was already losing hope in getting the extract when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"I'll pay for her extract. That is, of course, if she takes me with her." She turned around abruptly and found the knight standing there smirking as if he had no worries in the world. Sakura was wondering if she should let him pay for her extract and take him with her. And if she did that what would it mean for the team? Can they trust him?

"And why, exactly, would you do that?" Sakura asked for more information. The knight turned his gaze towards her.

"I need to get to Witch's Meadow. So I buy that extract for you and you show me the way." He said. Sakura thought it over.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours. I like the way you think."

"Hold on! How do we know if we can trust this guy? There's no way in hell I'm letting him come along, sweetpea." Pip interfered. For him this this business seemed a little too convenient.

"Don't worry little fairy, I'm not gonna hurt your mender." The knight tried.

"Who you calling 'little fairy' you dumbass?" Once again Pip's temper got the best of him. The knight couldn't do anything but be surprised. Mender fairies weren't usually this aggressive.

"Pip shut up! He's coming with us whether you like it or not, we need the extract." With that being said Pip decided this wasn't worth fighting over and shut up. The knight bought the extract and gathered his things.

"So what's your name anyway?" Sakura asked.

"I'm Sir Sasuke Uchiha of the Queen of the North at your service, and you?" His gallant answer made Sakura swoon a little in her shoes.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, a magic mender." They shook hands and smiled at each other. Sakura couldn't help but notice how good looking he was, how gallant, how sweet. And Sasuke noticed a few things in Sakura too, how her eyes would sparkle when she smiled, how her hair was a lovely pink color which meant that she must have meddled with it when she was a child. In truth, Sakura didn't meddle with her hair at all, that's how she was born but people always assume when they meet her and they learn she's a magic mender that she did it to herself. Only Pip knows how many hurt knights, menders, humans, dwarves, elves and what not he had to nurse back to health after Sakura gave them one of her magical treatments in her state of anger. Her hair wasn't something she liked to talk about.

"Ok! So it's a done deal. Give me the extract, shop keeper." The knight said stepping forward and going for his leather pouch.

"You gonna get yourselves killed that's what you gonna do with this damn extract, I tell you. But fine! Be it your way, as long as I get my money." The shop keeper said while she was looking for the raspberry extract. Sasuke paid her the 15 golden coins and the three new friends stepped outside.

"So why do you wanna get to Witch's Meadow?" Sakura asked. Pip listened. They were walking over to Drago together.

"A personal problem I have to take care of." He answered. "Problem is, I never even heard of it let alone know where it is."

"You've never heard of Witch's Meadow? Where did you grow up, boy, in The North?" Pip said.

"Yeah, actually." The North and The South of the realm were two very different parts of the world. They were divided by a wide sea called Bahari which was very hard to cross both for people and traditions. Everything was different about them, religions, gods, kings and queens, politics. The South had the menders and the healers, the fairies and the elves. The North had the knights and the fighters, the giants and the dwarves. There were never any wars between them. The South and The North have been living in peace for over centuries and that's only because of the Great Bahari. One common God. The sea.

"Wow, really? How did you cross Bahari?" Sakura asked impressed by this northern stranger.

"With a ship. We started out with 50 men. Only 7 survived. The waves were unimaginable and the creatures were everywhere but we finally made it. We wanted to prey to our gods for the lost men but we couldn't find a temple."

"You're not gonna find one of those here. Only the ones to God Bahari." Pip answered to Sasuke's story while Sakura was busy taking the food out of her travel pouch.

"That's what we did. We went into one of those. I came here following a rumor about Witch's Meadow. It appears that rumor is true. So can you really take me to it?"

"Yeah, totally. We know these places like the back of our hands." Sakura answered through a mouthful of cheese. "Eat up guys, we have to get to the dragon stables and drop Drago off."

"And why do we need to do that exactly?" Pip asked.

"Well we can't take him with us, silly. We can't ride him now that there's two of us riding so we'll have to walk. It's better for his wing anyway." Pip and Sasuke looked at each other. There was a long way between them and Witch's Meadow and now they had to walk there too.

"So tell me more about this meadow. Why is it so famous?"Sasuke asked.

"Well, there are a number of reasons. First, that's the only place you find witches-"

"Well aren't you a witch? I don't understand." Sakura was interrupted by the knight, very rudely so, she thought.

"No, I'm not a witch. I'm a magic mender, I deal with potions and some wand stuff that I'm not very good at. Nevertheless those are my affinities. Witches are tall, green creatures that roam the night looking for something to sacrifice to their gods. They eat human flesh sometimes, or they serve it to their gods. A witch is no good. A mender minds their own business."

"Not if it's you. The gods know you never minded your own business." Pip said and Sakura smiled knowingly.

"Anyway, as I was saying: first is for the witches. Second, for the untamed dragons. Witch's Meadow is one of the few locations you can find dragons in. That's where my sweet little Drago is from. Got him when he was an egg, trained him up real good. And then there is of course the few medical herbs that you can find there and only there." Drago, upon hearing his name did a little turn of the head from his fish and looked at them for a few minutes. He was a large creature but not large enough to carry two people. He was covered in red and black scales and his tail had two tiny wings for direction during his flights. Despite his large figure and his scary looking scales, Drago was gentle creature who listened to his trainer and lived for her. There was a lot of effort put into that bond coming from both sides.

"I see. So this Witch's Meadow is quite a dangerous place then." Sasuke commented.

"Quite so, boy. That's why I'm so against it. But if she goes there, I go there." Pip responded and Sasuke could swear that if Pip would have hands he would be banging his fists against his chest right now.

"That's a strong bond you two share."

"We've been together for 14 years. Ever since she was 6 and she was still talking to the stars outside her window. I taught her everything she knows. From a simple flower growing potion to pure, deathly poison." While they were talking Sakura was busy taking care of Drago. Having a dragon was a lot like having a horse these days. You had to feed it, train it, wash it and it was a lot better too because in the past it was frowned upon to have a dragon as a pet. It was thought to be dangerous. In some ways it is. But a lot has been discovered about dragons since then and Sakura always thought that if it's not a little dangerous then it's not worth her time.

"Alrighty fellas. Let's talk strategy." She said sitting back down. Her two companions came closer to listen properly. "First we drop Drago off at the dragon stables, that's not gonna take long, a day's walk maybe. Then we have to get the Poper seeds. We do this first cause it's closer to the stables. Now we don't want to scare the flowers or they turn invisible. What we can do is sneak up on them from behind, feed them a bee then they'll trust us and while they're eating we can snatch the Poper seeds. And the last step is getting the chameleon skin. We'll have to catch two of them cause I need one skin for the potion I'm developing. For that we go into The Forest of the Fairies. We catch the Chameleons, I'll skin them myself. You got it?"

At the end of her long speech they both nodded. And just like that a new adventure was starting.


End file.
